


Best Laid Plans

by TheStraggletag



Series: Starbucks Series [7]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 13:25:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13812090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStraggletag/pseuds/TheStraggletag
Summary: Sometimes thinking you’re early when you’re late just means you’re right on time.





	Best Laid Plans

**Author's Note:**

> Belle and Nick are already married when this story takes place.

She was happy, there was no doubt about it. When the doctor had confirmed her suspicions she’d felt nothing but sheer joy, the kind that warmed the bones and made the heart speed up. Relief soon followed that she was indeed pleased. Every child deserved to have a happy mother bring them into the world, but with everything going in her life she’d feared that she would, in some way, resent being pregnant. Nick and her were still very new newlyweds, their spring wedding at the Frick Collection still vivid in her memory (Ruby had caught the bouquet, and Archie had smiled and gotten so red it didn’t seem biologically possible).

She bundled up tightly, aware that her health was of the utmost importance at the moment, and called the office to clear her schedule for the day. She was still leery of taking any time off work, feeling like the moment she wasn’t there something horrible would happen or someone would try to make a move for her position. Silly, really, but the paranoia hadn’t quite gotten out of her system after the whole Jones fiasco. Regina’s hands were well and truly tied with the evidence against her but still an irrational part of her forced her to look over her shoulder at times. She knew Nick hated the tiny glimpses of fear or unease he saw in her from every now and then but only time would be able to take care of it. It helped that she got to snuggle into the protective arms of a man who loved her every night, and that she’d branded him hers in front of the whole world, and he’d done likewise.

Thinking of Nick made her stomach churn again. They’d discussed the issue of children extensively, both adamantly deciding that it’d be silly to start trying so early in their marriage. They wanted to enjoy being married, and be sure to completely adjust their personal life with their work and public life before thinking about children. And even though Belle felt nothing but thrilled that things hadn’t gone according to plan at all she didn’t know if he’d feel the same. The subject of family, Belle knew, was touchy for Nick. He had a lot of insecurities about being a father, about being good enough and without the proper amount of time to adjust to the idea he might not… enjoy the news.

She decided that, if she was going to tell him, she might as well cook his favourite meal, trying to put him in the correct mood to properly digest the surprise. While cooking her hands darted towards her still-flat stomach every five seconds, against her will, and soon she was picturing the baby- a boy, her heart told her, even though she didn’t really care about the sex- with Nick’s feathered tufts of hair and her nose. She could picture him perfectly, big brown eyes and a solemn expression like his papa, but with the prettiest smile and the most perfect laugh. She could see him crawling around the kitchen, asleep on the sofa, playing blocks with Nick on the Persian rug in the living-room. She could even smell him, fresh and powdery and perfect, and feel him warm and soft against her breast. Something inside her ached deeply and she fidgeted, willing the fantasies to go away.

The chicken with mushroom cream sauce was done the moment Nick arrived at the penthouse, looking frazzled and unhappy. Not a great start. She went over the greet him, noticing he’d shed his suit jacket on the foyer and had slumped against the Kasmir couch, leaning his head back and covering it with his hands.

Definitely not the most promising start. Still Belle bravely greeted him, trying to let her happiness eclipse her nervousness.

“I’ll strangle George fucking King. I fucking swear.”

It took two glasses of Johnnie Walker and very gentle prodding to uncover the problem. Apparently King had jumped the gun regarding a joint venture he was very interested in seeing through and now Nick had to scramble to get things ready ahead of schedule, lest they be forced to push back the new deadline and look unreliable and unprepared.

“When Midas called and started talking about having to "rush to get ready to sign the contracts” and “getting our people in touch as soon as possible” I had no fucking idea what the Hell he was talking about and it fucking showed. I hate that. I hate looking unprepared. Fuck, I hate being unprepared. And now of course King doesn’t want to move a fucking muscle to help because that’s not his job, his job, it seems, is fucking things up for no reason.“

Belle had never seen anyone eat so angrily before and wondered how the china wasn’t cracking from the way Nick stabbed at it in an effort to spear some chicken. She’d loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt and with his hair so wild and the coiled energy inside him he looked almost feral. Belle thought about the box of Sweet Revenge cupcakes she’d picked up for dessert, knowing not even a vanilla chiffon cupcake with with orange curd filling and orange vanilla buttercream would make the situation any better. It might be best to just let him talk it all out.

"The fuck is wrong with people like him? Is it so hard to stick to a fucking schedule? To follow the fucking plan? It was all carefully arranged, it took months of painstaking planning, of smoothing rough edges and now everything needs to be rushed because, apparently, you can’t bloody expect people to do as they are told and have a fucking sense of timing…”

He’d started pacing around the dining-room at some point and so was unaware that Belle was silently crying until he chanced a glance at her from beneath his shaggy hair. Immediatelly he was on his knees before her, awkwardly due to his injury, looking panicked and contrite.

“Belle? Belle, what’s wrong? Was I yelling too much? Did I upset you? I’m sorry, sweetheart, I’m so sorry, I’m not mad at you, I swear, and I didn’t mean to take it out…”

She burst into tears then, hiccuping in an effort to explain.

“I’m late. I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to be early! It just happened and I’m happy and I know we planned this out perfectly but I don’t care! It’s gonna be perfect just as it is and I wish you’d stop yelling about schedules and timing because I’m late, which means we’re early and you’re going to have to make your peace with it.”

She grabbed her napkin, attempting to compose herself. Beside her, hovering, was Nick. He looked… confused. And slightly panicky. But mostly confused. Probably because she had gone from apologetic to accusatory and angry in one breath.

“You’re late? Early? For what? What are you talking about, Belle?”

It was his voice that made her take pity on him. It was his soft, vulnerable voice, raspy and barely there. It was a voice he used exclusively with her and it never failed to tug at her heartstrings. She gently took one of his hands and placed it against her abdomen, covering it with both of her own.

“I’m late. I went to the doctor, she confirmed my suspicions.” She paused, watching his face carefully for any reaction. None. “I think it’s a boy. But a girl would be nice too.”

For Belle it felt like hours before he reacted at all. When he did it was simply to hoist himself up and then tug on her arm, urging her out of the chair and leading her to the sofa, where he gently shoved her so she sat down. He knelt again, a hint of pain in his expression that soon melted away when he unbuttoned the lower half of her blouse, exposing her midriff. He ghosted his fingers over her skin, as if he’d never touched her stomach before. Finally he gently pressed his forehead against her tummy, turning his head to the side so he could rest on her lap.

“How far along?” His voice was subdued, lethargic.

“Two and a half months. The lack of morning sickness made it a late discovery.”

She combed a hand through his hair tentatively, smiling when he caught it and pressed a kiss to her inner wrist, just above her pulse-point. He arched his neck to be able to nuzzle against her stomach, the softest smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“We need to schedule an ultrasound as soon as possible. After six weeks you’re supposed to be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat. I’ve read his or head head will be almost as big as the rest of the body. That’d be interesting to see.”

There was nothing but love in his voice, no anger or panic anywhere. He kept talking about turning the east guest room into a nursery, because it was the one closest to the master bedroom and the one that got the best light, about painting the walls a soothing shade of green and shopping for a cradle as soon as possible.

“I like antiques myself but if you prefer something more modern I don’t really mind. And the nursery should have a theme. Like an enchanted forest, a fairytale feeling to it. Warm and safe but also a little bit adventurous, a room that can grow as he or she does…”

Belle, who had felt early for being late was back to feeling late in spite of being early. Clearly she wasn’t as caught up on her pregnancy as Nick was, even though she had found out hours before. It sounded like he’d been doing research already, even though they’d agreed on waiting.

“You’re… you’re okay with this? You’re not angry? This isn’t what we agreed on. It’s not what you wanted.”

He closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek affectionately against her tummy, his arms wrapping around her.

“This is all I’ve ever wanted. This is perfect.”

He rose to plant a reverent kiss on her lips and it was then that Belle realised that she wasn’t dreaming. She was going to be a mother, Nick was thrilled and she could barely breathe, happiness pressing against her lungs. She kissed him back with a happy sigh, thanking God nature hadn’t taken into account their silly plans. The baby wasn’t early at all. He was just in time.


End file.
